1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to article retaining devices and more particularly to modular supports for retaining instruments in selected positions in a sterilization tray.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In preparation for sterilization, extremely delicate precision instruments, such as those used in eye surgery and the like, should not be placed loosely in a sterilization tray as their contact with the tray and with each other will dull cutting edges and disrupt coacting parts and other adjusted elements.
In the past, individual upstanding posts, bolted or otherwise affixed to apertures in the bottom of a sterilization tray have been arranged to hold the finger engaging rings of ring-handle instruments in a stacked assembly, thus preventing movement of the instruments about the tray during the sterilization process. However, since only ring-handle instruments may be so mounted, protection against movement is not provided for ringless instruments such as probes, forceps and the like. Furthermore, during the stacking of ring-handle instruments, contact between the cutting edges is often inadvertently made, resulting in undesirable dulling of the cutting edges, or damage to the instruments themselves.
Protection for medical instruments to be sterilized has also been provided by wrapping each instrument in steam permeable muslin or other materials, such as autoclavable paper, but such wrappings reduce the effectiveness of the autoclaving process, and cause excessive preparation time to be consumed.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide quick attaching modular supports for immovably positioning individual medical instruments in selected locations within a sterilization tray during the sterilization process, yet allowing maximum exposure of instrument surfaces to sterilizing steam.